Welter: We shouldn't be so quick to move on from Cam Newton and other "old" QBs

By Pat Welter

Maybe we shouldn't be so quick to move on from these "old" quarterbacks. I can think of a lot of words to describe Cam Newton's return to Charlotte, old isn't one of them. Storybook, theatrical, epic, and inspiring came to mind. After the game Cam said it best.

"All in all it was warming," Cam said following a 27-21 loss to the Washington Football Team, his first start for Carolina since September 2019. "These last couple days have been overwhelming and my prayer was pretty much that I hope I could just keep it in the road."

21-27 189 yards, 2 touchdowns passing, 1 rushing, NO turnovers. Imagine if Justin Fields put up that stat line or Trey Lance. What would people be saying then? I don't know if it's the vegan diet, but at 32 years old Cam looks like he has plenty left.

"It didn't turn out the way I wanted it to or we wanted it to," Cam said about the return. "Yet we can learn from it. I think we have to realize that nobody is going to lay down. I didn't expect that, I know a lot of other guys didn't expect that, but it's still going to come down to us executing a given plan, but for me I'm excited [for] what the future holds."

The future is what made Carolina move on from Cam in the first place. They didn't release Cam in March of 2020 because he couldn't play. They released him because he was hurt. He had surgery on his throwing shoulder after the 2018 season. He went on IR in 2019 with a Lisfranc foot fracture after week two. After his 2015 MVP Super Bowl season he struggled to recapture the magic that made him the most physically dominant quarterback the NFL has maybe ever seen.

I can't really blame Panthers owner David Tepper and head coach Matt Rhule for wanting to start their tenure with someone new. In hindsight it seems ridiculous to think that Teddy Bridgewater or Sam Darnold could give you a better chance to win than Superman. "Yeah Cam we know you're the face of the franchise, but we'd rather try our hand with Teddy two gloves and the grown up version of the kid from the 6th Sense." (Darnold sees ghosts if you didn't get that).

As much blame as they deserve for letting him walk, they deserve equal credit for being man enough to admit they were wrong and welcome him back. So what's next? According to reports the Panthers signed Newton to a one-year deal worth up to $10 million which includes $4.5 million fully guaranteed and a $1.5 million roster bonus. They are down their 2022 2nd and 4th round picks thanks to the Sam Darnold trade. They've also got Darnold's 5th-year option on the books for over $18 million in 2022.

Cam's gift is also his curse. He might never look better than he did Sunday vs. the Washington Football Team. Due to his playing style, he will inevitably get banged up and the same reasons Carolina let him go will creep back into all of our heads.

What Cam does offer is someone who, like he said, can "keep it in the road." Look around the NFL right now. The Super Bowl is there for the taking. It's why so many teams are clinging to their old guys or wish they did. Don't you think Bill Belichick wants to have Tom ***bleeping*** Brady back!? Ben Roethlisberger might creak his way back into the playoffs. Heck I think Phil Rivers and Drew Brees could still suit up.

The Panthers quarterback salary situation is for someone smarter than me to figure out. If the L.A. Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers can assemble Pro-Bowlers like Bruce Willis gathering a team of ex-cons and oil riggers to take down an asteroid, I think the Panthers could find a way to re-sign Cam in 2022 and potentially draft a successor. (Speaking of old guys that's my second Bruce Willis movie reference in this column, buckle up you're about to get a third.)

The Panthers botched Superman's send off once, now they get a second chance. Is he a long term solution? I don't know, is "Die Hard" a Christmas movie??? Yippey ki-yay, the Panthers have a quarterback again.